STRI is uniquely positioned to undertake research involving long-term monitoring of terrestrial and marine environments. Our goal is to document natural patterns of variation, discovering the causes of variation, and providing baseline data without which the effects of human activities on tropical communities cannot be detected.

STRI's Enviromental Sciences Program (ESP) measures a series of physical and biological variables for the Terrestrial Programs at Barro Colorado Island and for the Marine Programs, which include monitoring the effects of a major oil spill in the Caribbean and a joint study of the Bay of Panama with the University of Panama.